Plants to Love: Rozanne Hardy Cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’)

Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (USDA Zones 4/5-9) is a lovely tumbling plant that gets between 4 and 5’ around, and about 2’ tall. She’s been the darling of the landscape designer crowd since being introduced a few years back, and even though we all plant her all the time, we’re sticking our fingers in our ears and going “LA-LA-LA” whenever a whisper of her being over-used comes up. She’s only over-used once we’re tired of her, and we are not.

She loves full sun and is somewhat deer-resistant, though not reliably so. ‘Rozanne’ even tolerates strong seacoast wind without looking shabby. If you put ‘Rozanne’ in a part shade spot, she’ll still grow and bloom nicely, but she may get a bit leggy and sprawl out more. She does go dormant, so I often plant her with evergreen plants so she doesn’t leave too big of a hole in the winter garden.

Learn how to prune Geranium ‘Rozanne’ here (link to video). I gently lift one side of the plant up and trim out some of the longest stems that are flopping on the ground either back to a side shoot or all the way back, making sure my pruning cuts are hidden by the rest of the foliage, and work my way around the base of the plant to even it up. This helps to reduce size or get the plant out of a pathway if needed, because usually the longest stems are the ones sitting on the ground.

After you prune, the goal is to have the plant smaller, but not see any visible sign that you pruned it – no cut stems or bare patches.

About Genevieve

Genevieve Schmidt is a landscape designer and owns a fine landscape maintenance company in Arcata, CA. The owner of North Coast Gardening, she is also a contributing writer at Garden Design Magazine and has written for numerous print and online publications.

Comments

LA-LA-LA-LA! Count me in as a Rozanne fan. I like to use her paired with Hakonechloa ‘Aureola’, I love the way the purple flowers weave through the yellow-green blades of grass and show up unexpectedly. In my deer-infested garden, Rozanne is generally left alone, although I can’t say the same for G. ‘Max Frei’.

Debbie, that’s great to hear that Rozanne’s deer resistant for you. And I love your combo idea with ‘Aureola’! That’s another favorite, too – they always seem to perform well if given a year or so to settle in.

Geranium ‘Rozanne’….ahhh she is so tough but so sweet. Anything that grows under Coastal Live Oaks, is deer resistent, and blooms its head off is a do’er in my garden. Looks fabulous with…..ur….. everything.